


It Started out with a Kiss

by Emby



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Lance (Voltron) Whump, Langst, One-Sided Keith/Lance (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 17:26:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15690003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emby/pseuds/Emby
Summary: How did it end up like this? It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss.





	It Started out with a Kiss

It was a kiss, just a stupid kiss. They were laughing in nervous relief after being chased down by some beast on an “uninhabited” planet (Thanks Pidge). Lance, the prince of bad ideas decides to face it straight on going for the intimidation tactic. Which worked mind you, Lance had distracted it successfully but not without getting a pretty gnarly scratch. It’s when Keith is bandaging his leg reprimanding him for his stupid (brilliant) idea. And that’s when Lance is struck with the undeniable truth that he’s in love with this boy. Their months of what he thought was flirting and training together, he thinks that maybe Keith had felt the same. So he kisses him and Keith freezes then moves away. “I- I’m sorry!” 

Keith only blurts out an excuse and pretends to check his broken communicator and that’s it, the beginning of the end. 

It's been weeks since that stupid kiss and Keith was still super awkward around him. He wasn’t looking at him and he wouldn't even talk to him. And already that leaves an uneasy feeling in his gut. Whatever progress they’d made on their friendship all feels like it had been dissolved.

It’s fine though, being a Paladin of Voltron doesn't leave him with enough time to dwell on the little things bothering him. There were more important things to worry about. Like right now for instance when they have Galra forces climbing down their throats there's no time to wonder what is so wrong with him. 

There are ships closing in on Keith and the words are out of his mouth before he can think sa“Keith on your left!” the Red Paladin expertly dodges the incoming shots and takes out the two ships. And there's no thank you, just silence. But if any of the others talked to him he was right there answering back. He's not gonna lie it hurts.

Hours later and one less planet nearly ruined by Zarkon’s reign they were back in the castle ship exhausted but safe. The adrenaline rush had passed leaving them all lethargic quietly seeking comfort amongst each other. Lance is the last trudge into the common room smiling gently at the Paladins gathered.

“What’s the agenda for tonight?” someone yawns which sets off a chain reaction. 

“Sleep, right here right now.” That sounded like a fantastic idea to Lance surrounded by family. There was a hole between Hunk and Keith that was perfectly Lance’s size.   
He wedges himself in the warmth and hums with contentment. Immediately it's gone, or half of it is. Specifically Keith is gone briskly walking out of the room. The unease in Lance’s gut doesn’t go away. “What's up with Keith?” someone murmurs sleepily. He knows but he's not going to say anything. 

~  
Keith’s disappearing acts happens more frequently over the next few days, the most recent being the morning after a difficult mission. One by one they wake to gathering to the kitchen to eat a rare fresh cooked breakfast and just as Lance walks in with sleepy eyes Keith grabs his food and leaves the room. Lance watches him leave “He’s avoiding me isn't he?”

Pidge glances at him “Keith?” she scoffs “Maybe finding out you’re half Galra needs time to digest. Not everything is about you Lance.” His face burns and his mouth snaps shut. Suddenly he's not hungry. The uncomfortable feeling in his gut morphing into a dull constant ache. 

The problem is, as much as Keith is avoiding him Lance can’t help but to continue doing things for him. He brings him food and water during training so he doesn’t doesn’t forget like he's prone to do. He sets a plate set aside for Keith before he comes for dinner, his chores when Keith is too tired to do them himself, like he always did, like he does for everybody.

 

For the first time in a long while Keith seeks Lance out and finds him in the hanger. The hangar is empty save for Lance chillaxing on Blue’s paw. His eyes are closed, he's technically not even there since Blue is sharing with him all the places she’s visited. A “Lance we need to talk.” forcefully yanks him from the depths of an Ocean Planet. He has to take a moment to wait out the nausea. Lance sighs already knowing what it's going to be about “Whats up?”

“Can you stop following me around its it's really creepy.”

That catches him off guard “I'm not-"

“So then how my clothes always clean when I try to do laundry. Or there's food in the training room everytime I go in there.” 

“I was just helping you out.”

“It's creepy Lance. You follow me around enough to know my schedule. Just stop.”

Lance wants to argue tell him that he's not special and he does this for all the Paladins not just Keith but he's tired. He’s tired of tiptoeing around the Red Paladin tired of feeling like shit.

“Alright.” Lance clears his throat. “Sorry about that.” Keith wipes his hands on his pants and of Lance if he’s reading this correctly. 

And there he goes out the doors. Lance can only lay back and try to process what just happened. “Fuck me I guess.” he laughs as he wipes the tears from his face 

~

Lance moves on as best as he can, there's no point dwelling on it because there's a whole universe to defend. Part of him aches everytime he sees Keith, and the assumptions hurt so much more than the rejection. So he avoids him. The exact opposite of what he’d been doing before. 

He cleans up another training room on the lower deck and trains there. He busies himself, learning Altean with Pidge or Cooking with Hunk. To him it's just filling his time so he doesn’t hurt have time to hurt. 

Allura finds him as he’s walking through the castles on a day where he can’t get out of his head. “Lance!” “Princess, can I help you with something.” She points down the corridor. “This is the way to the ballroom Lance, is this where you’ve been sneaking off too?” He hadn’t even known where he was going, so lost in his own head. “I didn’t know that’s what was down here.” she pull him along till they reach the huge double doors of the room. 

Her smile is infectious “I used to come here with my father and mother. I could watch them dance for hours.” there's a dreamy look in her eye as she remembers the past it's bittersweet. She shakes out of the memory before pushing open the door.

The room is, for lack of better words, disgusting. The lights don’t come on and there’s dust covering everything. During the 10,000 years Allura and Coran were in cryo it seems that someone had maybe used this place as a home. Allura and Lance actually has to step back into the hall for a fresh breath. He hears her breath hitch and his eyes widen when she begins to cry in earnest. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He pulls her to his chest and she doesn’t answer, too choked with emotion. “This was mine, this place was mine and now it’s-it’s-” “Allura- hey look at me, we can fix this. Yeah it's gonna take a bit of work but you can make it yours again and I’ll help.” She sniffles and looks into his eyes, searching. “You mean that? You won't duck out halfway through?” “I promise, I won’t.” 

And that’s how they spend their days, disappearing to this room, gradually getting it clean.   
They talk he tells her stories about Earth celebrations, she tells him about her coronation. He talks about his first crush and she talks about her suitors. Deep in to the next few weeks, he tells her about his family and his voice breaks as he tells her how much they mean to him and how he misses them. He stopped cleaning, just standing lost in thought but he’s pulled out of his head when a small hand tucks into his. The silence is comforting for both of them, 

Lance’s mood lightens and he’s no longer a ghost on the ship. But it's not that easy to forget what put him in that state. forget about it.There are the few times where he has to interact with Keith. 

Like during training or when Coran wants to teach them a new game or something. But Keith is standoffish not wanting to be in his company longer than he has to. It does hurt their team dynamic but not enough for anyone to bring it up . At least he thinks that, until Shiro pulls him to the side before they leave for a mission. “Lance hey, you ok?”

He jolts out of his thoughts “Yeah, I’m good what's up?” 

“You’ve been a little in and out of it for a few weeks now. I just wanted to check on you.”

He takes a defensive stance “Yeah, no worries if it's about the mission I am one hundred percent focused.”   
“Lance, I’m worried about you. You haven’t been you. Did you and Keith start fighting again? ” 

Lance gives him a wry smile “Not really, we’re working on it though.” (They were not).

Shiro smiles “I’m glad to hear it. You can talk to me, you know that right?” and that’s the last he speaks of it. As long as they’re working on it right?

Getting to the moon is the easiest part. Infiltrating the base, however was a bit more tricky.   
They enter the building quietly, everyone heading to their assigned post. Lance never makes it to his. A sentry locks on Pidge and she doesn’t notice but Lance does.   
Two shots go off and she slams into the floor hard and angrily turns to yell at Lance but all words fail her when she sees all the red. Her screams into the comms are enough to let them know something is wrong. 

“Lance I swear to God, if you pass out on me!” His eyes are shut tightly body tense with pain. 

“I’m trying really hard not to but this fucking hurts.” he draws in another shuddering breath and blinks. His vision may be blurring but the soldiers heading in their direction don’t seem to be a figment of his imagination. “Pidge go, you have to get the fuck out of here!” “I’m not leaving you Lance.”she cries glancing back and forth between him and the distant soldiers.

He shoves at her with what little strength he has. “Pidge they cannot take both of us, we need Voltron...please.” She knows, they all know the idea of greater good. But the choice is and never will be easy.   
At least today she didn’t have to make that choice from behind them comes a heavy barrage of laser fire indicative of Hunk’s arrival. With his waning vision he sees a blur of pink, then black. Maybe it’s because one of their own is down and time is of the essence, the fight ends quickly Galra blood painting the floor. 

“We got you buddy, you’re safe now.” He blinks in and out of consciousness and the next time he opens his eyes it's in the medbay with Coran’s stricken face above him..and then nothing.

~   
Lance has been in the pod for longer than any of them have ever been. And over the course of him being in there, each one of them have wandered in and out but two of them have barely left his side. Keith stands tense at one end of the room while Allura paces by the pod. 

“You both need to rest, please if not for your sake then Lance’s.” Shiro pleads with them both only Allura aquiecesses but Keith stands his ground. 

When the pod finally opens, Lance’s eyes are barely open before he’s hit with an armful of Allura who is now kissing him as if there’s no tomorrow and he's kissing back. When they break apart they’re both breathing hard. 

“Never ever get shot again, please.” She’s holding his head looking dead into his eyes, all Lance can do is nod. 

“Well, now that you two have said hello why don’t you let all of us welcome him back to the land of the living.” Pidge drawls a slight smile on her face. 

Lance’s face burns as they all envelope him in a hug. “We’re so glad you’re ok, just don't be jumping in front of any other bullets.”   
He ruffles Pidge’s hair “But I’ve gotta watch out for my favorite goblin.” 

It goes on like that for a bit, everyone trying to take extra care of him. Hunk gives him a piggyback ride to the kitchen promising to make the best welcome back dinner he’s ever had. 

In the kitchen he sits at the table watching Allura flit around until he grasps her hand and pulls her to sit beside him. 

Under the table Allura’s hand entwines with his and his heart flutters. She rests her head on his shoulder and keeps squeezing his hand as if to check if he was real. 

They’re in their own little world “I’m sorry, I scared you.”he murmurs and Lance is surprised to hear her sniffle. Allura turns to hide her face in his shoulder. “Don’t you ever do that again, it’s so awful when you’re gone.” He tilts her head up at him and gives her a gentle kiss. “But I’ll have you to save me now right?” he searches her eyes and they widen with what he asks. “Always.” 

“Hunk! Give me a trashcan I’m gonna fucking hurl.” Pidge wails from the table watching their exchange with disgust.  
The room bubbles with laughter and the fragile atmosphere breaks as Hunk brings the food out. 

The day draws to a close and the impending sleepover is unspoken. They go their separate ways only to gather their bedding before dumping it into Lance’s room.

He walks Allura to her room and what I will say is that gathering her things take longer than it should. 

They begin the walk back to Lance's room but Keith's figure standing in the hallway slows their approach. 

“Keith, where have you been we wondered where you went off to.” 

Keith watches him nervously “I-I was waiting for you, I wanted to talk.” 

“I'm going to head inside.” Allura gives a small smile and walks herself out of the conversation sensing that this needed to be private. 

They watch the door slide shut and Lance sighs,  
“Last time you wanted to talk, it wasn’t a fun conversation.”   
Keith winces “I know, I know and I’m sorry. I just.. I need to get this out.” 

Lance looks at him, like fully looks at him. Keith looks awful honestly speaking. Like he hadn’t gotten a full nights sleep in a long while and food was an afterthought.

“You didn’t leave the pod did you,” he cocks his head puzzled “Why?”   
Keith doesn’t say anything for a moment.

When he does speak it's a whisper “I was scared. Your heart stopped before they got you in there, but they revived you.” This was the first he was hearing of this. “I thought we were gonna lose you, Keith’s next breath shudders.

“We barely talked in the past few months and in that time I realized just how much you mean to me and I’m sorry. I was so scared to admit to myself that I felt the same.” 

“You made me feel like shit Keith.”  
“I know, and I’m sorry so if we could just start over from when you kissed me. Keith moves forward and Lance steps back. 

“Allura and I are-" he actually doesn't know what they are yet but they're something. 

“Oh yeah, I guess it's it's my turn to apologize.” Keith chuckles and sucks in a deep breath. “Despite this massive clusterfuck of whatever, I really do hope we can still be friends. Even if I'm always cold?” 

Lance pulls him into a tight hug “I'll be damned if you're not my friend.” 

Keith is the first to break, the laughter shaking his frame and Lance follows. It feels good to laugh together again. Despite the circumstances, despite the pain they're both glad that things can begin to go back to the way things were.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my fic, I really appreciate it. If you wanna come talk at me, I'm on[ Tunglr. ](https://wriiteitdown.tumblr.com) Thank you again for reading it means the world to me.


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